{"id":10816,"date":"2018-11-29T14:00:58","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T19:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/regenerative-engineering-institute?page_id=10816"},"modified":"2026-02-27T10:25:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:25:59","slug":"pre-k-award-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/regenerative-engineering-institute\/pre-k-award-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-K Junior Faculty Career Development Award Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pre-K Junior faculty Career Development Award Program<\/strong><\/mark><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

About the Program<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

The Pre-K Program is a two-year interactive program designed to equip junior faculty with the knowledge and competencies to effectively apply for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Career Development Award (K Award)<\/a>. An additional goal is to positively impact the diversity of UConn affiliated researchers applying for K Awards and create a culture that supports this goal.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2024 Awardees<\/div><\/h3>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/strong><\/td>\nResearch Title<\/strong><\/td>\nDepartment<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Youngji Jo, Ph.D.\nAssistant Professor<\/span><\/td>\nIntegrated screening and multi-month drug dispensing for people living with HIV and hypertension in Zambia: A Mathematical Model<\/td>\nUConn Department of Public Health Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mayte Restrepo-Ruiz, Ph.D.\nAssistant Professor<\/td>\nData-to-Action Approach to Prevent Youth Exposure to Violence and Mental Health\nAdverse Outcomes<\/td>\nUConn Department of Public Health Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Luigi Marino, Ph.D.\nAssistant Professor of Medicine<\/span><\/td>\nStem cells and thyroid hormone, a multimodal treatment for Alcohol-associated Liver Disease<\/td>\nUConn Health Medicine\/Endocrinology<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lindsay Butler, Ph.D.\nAssistant Professor<\/td>\nCharacterizing the neural mechanisms of limited spoken language in autistic adolescents using functional near-infrared spectroscopy<\/td>\nCollege of Liberal Arts and Sciences,\nSpeech, Language, and Hearing Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rupal Parekh, MSW, MPH, Ph.D.\nAssistant Professor<\/td>\nImplementation-Evaluation of a Community Reengagement Intervention for Disengaged Black and African American Older Adults<\/td>\nUConn School of Social Work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Candidus Nwakasi, Ph.D., MSPH\nAssistant Professor<\/td>\nAnalyses of social and psychological drivers of health-related quality of life of Black men cancer survivors<\/td>\nUConn Human Development and Family Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jennifer Fields, Ph.D.\nAssistant Professor<\/td>\nEffects of varying dosages of collagen peptides on biomarkers of bone turnover in active, pre-menopausal women<\/td>\nUConn Department of Nutritional Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2022 Awardees<\/div><\/h3>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/strong><\/td>\nResearch Title<\/strong><\/td>\nWhere Are They Now?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Katherine Bernier Carney, Ph.D.<\/td>\nSupporting Caregiver Skill Development and Emotional Well-being in Pediatric Cancer<\/td>\nUConn School of Nursing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cristina Colon-Semenza, Ph.D.<\/td>\nPeer partners to enhance physical activity and disease management in Hispanics living with Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/td>\nUConn Department of Kinesiology<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jacob Earp, Ph.D.<\/td>\nThe relative contribution of five distinct modifiable determinants of muscle quality to overall muscle quality and physical function.<\/td>\nUConn Department of Kinesiology<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Amy Hunter, Ph.D.<\/td>\nImproving Child Maltreatment Detection in Clinical Settings<\/td>\nUConn Department of Public Health Sciences\n\nUConn Department of Pediatrics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jolaade Kalinowski, Ph.D.<\/td>\nA Novel Approach to Managing Stress in Black Women with Hypertension. Novel Approach to Managing Stress and Improving Physical Therapy in Black Women with Hypertension<\/td>\nUConn Human Development and Family Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cutter Lindbergh, Ph.D.<\/td>\nComputerized Cognitive Remediation of Post-COVID Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Older Adults<\/td>\nUConn Health Department of Psychiatry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Christina Ross, Ph.D.<\/td>\nAssessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile Health Application Named \"Zuri\" to Promote Black Female Adolescents' Sexual and Reproductive Health and Sexual Self-Efficacy<\/td>\nUConn School of Nursing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2020 Awardees<\/div><\/h3>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/strong><\/td>\nResearch Title<\/strong><\/td>\nWhere Are They Now?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loneke Blackman-Carr, Ph.D.<\/td>\nSociocultural Assets for Diet and Physical Activity Behavior and Adaptive Digital Health Intervention for Weight Gain Prevention<\/td>\nDepartment of Nutritional Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eileen Carter, Ph.D., R.N.<\/td>\nIntra-Emergency Department Transmission of SARS-CoV-2<\/td>\nSchool of Nursing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kristen Cooksey-Stowers, Ph.D.<\/td>\nCommunity Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Mixed-Methods Approach to Examine The Relationship Between Neighborhood Food Environments, Home Food Environments, and Preschool Children's Food\/ Beverage Intake<\/td>\nDepartment of Allied Health Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jennifer Garza, Ph.D.<\/td>\nThe Effect of Occupational and Overall Activity During Pregnancy on Work and Maternal and Fetal Developmental Health Outcomes<\/td>\nDepartment of Occupational Medicine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oh Sung Kwon, Ph.D.<\/td>\nAutophagy in Human Peripheral Blood Cells: Impact of Aging and Biomarker Role in Geroscience-Guided Clinical Interventions<\/td>\nDepartment of Kinesiology<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kristin Morgan, Ph.D.<\/td>\nPositive Neuromuscular Driven Gait Adaptation Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction<\/td>\nDepartment of Biomedical Engineering<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Ristau, M.D.<\/td>\nSingle Cell Transcriptome Investigation of Cellular Dysregulation in Bladder Carcinogenesis and The Application of Patient-Derived Organoids Towards Personalized Therapeutics<\/td>\nDepartment of Surgery<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

2018 Awardees<\/div><\/h3>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/strong><\/td>\nResearch Title<\/strong><\/td>\nWhere Are They Now?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jenna Bartley, Ph.D.<\/td>\nThe Effect of Metformin on Influenza Vaccine Responses and T Cell Function in the Elderly Significance<\/td>\nUConn Center on Aging<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eliane Dutra, D.D.S., M.S.D., Ph.D.<\/td>\nAnabolic Responses of Intermittent PTH Treatment in the Mandibular Condyle<\/td>\nUConn Health Orthodontics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stephanie Gernant, Pharm.D., M.S.<\/td>\nImproving MTM Delivery through Community Pharmacy Workflow Re-Design<\/td>\nUConn Pharmacy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alexander Hogan, M.D., M.S.<\/td>\nA Mixed-Methods Approach to Decreasing Late Asthma Readmissions<\/td>\nConnecticut Children's Pediatrics<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Insoo Kim, Ph.D.<\/td>\nSmart Sensing Platform for Upper Limb Prosthesis Monitoring and Functional Evaluation<\/td>\nUConn Health Occupational and Environmental Medicine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Minjung Kim, Ph.D.<\/td>\nMobile Adherence Evaluations in Heart Failure Care Management<\/td>\nUConn Health Calhoun Cardiology Center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jeffrey Pella, Ph.D.<\/td>\nThe Costs and Benefits of a Teacher Delivered Intervention for Pediatric Anxiety<\/td>\nUConn Health Psychiatry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

2016 Awardees<\/div><\/h3>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/strong><\/td>\nResearch<\/a> Title<\/strong><\/td>\nWhere Are They Now?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Carolyn Greene, Ph.D.<\/td>\nThe Role of Parental Emotion Regulation in Evidence-Based Treatment for Children with PTSD<\/td>\nUConn Health Psychiatry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Michelle P. Judge, Ph.D., R.D.<\/td>\nThe Role of Parental Emotion Regulation in Evidence-Based Treatment for Children with PTSD<\/td>\nUConn School of Nursing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ruth Lucas, Ph.D., RN<\/td>\nMeasuring Neonatal Sucking Microstructure During Breastfeeding in Clinical and Home<\/a> Settings<\/td>\nUConn School of Nursing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kevin J. Manning, Ph.D.<\/td>\nNeurobiological Influences on Impulsivity and Alcohol Misuse in Young and Older Adults<\/td>\nUConn School of Psychiatry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Erin Mead, Ph.D.<\/td>\nAddictive Potential of Little Cigar\/Cigarillos in Dual Users: Effect by Flavor and Sex<\/td>\nUConn Health Occupational and Environmental Medicine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mario F. Perez, M.D., M.P.H.<\/td>\nAirway Inflammatory Profile of E-Cigarette Users<\/td>\nUConn Health Medicine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stefan Pinter, Ph.D.<\/td>\nEscapee Regulation and Gene Dosage Therapy in Turner Syndrome (TS)<\/td>\nUConn Health Genetics and Genome Sciences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Carla Rash, Ph.D.<\/td>\nDeveloping Sustainable Contingency Management Interventions for Soup Kitchen and Homeless Facility Patrons<\/td>\nUConn Health Calhoun Cardiology Center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Emily Wakefield, Psy.D.<\/td>\nThe Development of a Health-Related Stigma Scale for Adolescents with Chronic Pain and their Parent<\/td>\nConnecticut Children's Pain and Palliative Medicine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

2014 Awardees<\/div><\/h3>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/strong><\/td>\nResearch Title<\/strong><\/td>\nWhere Are They Now?<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
William L. Baker, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS-AQ<\/td>\nMagnesium and Arrhythmias<\/td>\nUConn Pharmacy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Angela Berm\u00fadez-Mill\u00e1n, Ph.D., M.P.H.<\/td>\nSocial Determinants of Health: Food Insecurity in Low Income Populations<\/td>\nUConn Health Community Medicine and Health Care<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alicia G. Dugan, Ph.D.<\/td>\nSurviving at Work: Cancer Survivors\u2019 Work Experiences and Workplace-based Supports<\/td>\nUConn Health Occupational and Environmental Medicine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Damion J. Grasso, Ph.D.<\/td>\nAutonomic and Genetic Risk of Trauma-Related Psychopathology in Young Children<\/td>\nUConn Health Psychiatry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Melissa Santos, Ph.D.<\/td>\nPain and Weight Treatment for Those Inflicted with Chronic Pain and Obesity<\/td>\nConnecticut Children's Obesity Center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>